Before Dawn
by Zeff N Company
Summary: When Squall and Cloud decided to go treasure hunting in the forbidden areas of Radiant Garden, neither expected competition from three weird little pixies. Nor did they expect what they found... A WKR adaptation of KH: the Day of Chaos by pyjamaTerra.


_Another piece in the setting of _When Keyblades Rust_. This has been altered since me getting to know _Crisis Core_, and takes heavy reference from KH: the Day of Chaos by pyjamaTerra (aka sakurabatou). More details follow the end note and dA upload._

* * *

"You see it?"

"Yeah…"

It was – admittedly – barely visible against the dull rock surface, but it was there alright. Right out in the open, with no one touching it. And high above it, up on the cliff, two pairs of eyes were focused on keeping it within sight.

"Commander," the blond suddenly asked softly, "what's our mission objective?"

"Simple, Captain," the brunet replied, his tone equally hushed. "We infiltrate the area, avoid enemy detection at all costs, and proceed to liberate the target from its holdings."

"Might I remind you, sir, that imperial order forbids us to enter those lands below?"

"Unattainable areas of entry are the best kind."

"Well said, Commander," the blond answered in turn, his lips curling in a gleeful smirk. "We are prepared to go forth, at your call."

"Is our squad fully assembled, Captain?"

"Full attendance of two met! All accounted for, sir!"

"Then let's move out…!" And the dirt scratched roughly against coarse fabric as the pair of boys at last left the cliff's edge and hurried down the path, back toward a point of safer descent. Although younger, Cloud was still the faster, and reached that point first; he was already securing their line when the other caught up to him.

"But really, they're gonna _kill_ us if we get caught," he commented crudely, earning a callous shrug from the other.

"Not _really_…" Squall drawled, as he tugged at the rope to ensure it was indeed well-fastened. "Between Merlin and his long-windedness, Even and his logic, your mom and Ansem and their individual parental wrath, Zack and his tendency to overreact, Ienzo and his inability to keep Zack at bay for more than ten minutes… By the time they're done, we'd be _begging_ them to kill us and end the torment."

"Permission to inform you that you're being overly technical, Commander," the blond muttered, already taking hold of the line and making his way down.

"Denied, soldier," the reply came smoothly.

"That's SOLDIER First Class to you, sir!" the indignant youngster retorted, narrowly avoiding a pebble the other had kicked loose.

"C'mon, Cloud - that doesn't even _exist_!"

* * *

"You know," Cloud commented for the fifth time in the hour, "it looked _a lot_ closer from the top."

There was a soft murmur of acknowledgment, as Squall proceeded to consult a crudely drawn map they had put together – specifically, a white piece of paper with a single line that curved and crooked like one of Even's heart monitors hooked up to an irate Braig. His finger traced along the line for a moment, and he gave up once more with a huff. "…it's gotta be around here somewhere…!"

As the boys moved in two separate ways to widen their scope, Cloud proceeded to climb partway up one of the smoother rocks; his gained height quickly proved useful: "I think I see a ledge up ahead! That way!"

In a flash, the two of them were running again, turning through a winding path formed by still smooth, even ground amidst crevices and dangerously pointy protrusions. At last, they reached the ledge that Cloud had spotted, and as they were barely able to see pass the top of it…

"…that looked _a lot_ easier to reach from the top," Cloud concluded. "…gimme a boost."

Obliging, Squall lowered himself to allow his peer to step up onto his shoulders. Taking hold of the boots, he slowly got to his feet and hefted the other upward; it was nothing they had not done before, and they resumed their priority without much further fuss.

"Can you get it?" There was a strained grunt in response.

"…almost," Cloud answered at last, his fingers twitching in a futile endeavor to magic their lengths just that bit more. "… I can't quite reach…"

"What do we do, then?"

"… Hang on…"

One of Cloud's feet bumped upward in silent request, and Squall carefully released it, automatically bracing himself for the added force that was applied to his other shoulder. Cloud lifted that foot up and forward, found purchase against the wall of rock, and proceeded to push his other foot even further up. His knee went over the top of the ledge, and in a moment the rest of him made it over as well.

"… I don't think we're supposed to climb that high up…" Squall supplied uncertainly from where he was.

"We're not supposed to be down here, either… Got it!" And Cloud was back; his feet dangling over the ledge with their prize sat on his lap, looking heavy with the promise of loot.

At the sight of the chest his friend held, Squall lit up at once. "That's it! Can you open it?"

"Lemme see… Hey, I can!" As the lid popped open and turned back on its – surprisingly silent – hinges, Cloud peered inside and picked something out. "Wow…"

"What is it?" Cloud did not reply right away, as he took a few seconds to single out that one piece and hold it up to the light.

"I don't know, but it's interesting. Here – take a look."

And Squall's hands quickly came together, just in time for the object Cloud tossed down to land neatly upon his palms. He blinked, and then rolled said object into one hand for better means of scrutiny.

From above, Cloud snapped the chest shut again, all the while watching his friend eagerly as he readied his way back down. "What do you think?"

"Uh…well…" and then Squall's hand moved, and the light that was caught upon the metallic piece suddenly reflected back in ruby light. "… Hey! This is really valuable!"

"Whoa! For _real_?" There was a low "thud" as Cloud at last made his way low enough to hop back to the ground.

"… I think. Mr. Highwind would know," Squall admitted; his eyes were still trained on the bipyramid that was so much like – yet also so unlike – native copper. At last, he held it back out to Cloud.

"You can keep it, Squall."

"Really?"

"Sure! You saw it first." – It disappeared into Squall's pocket in an instant, – "Let's see if there's anything else!"

The chest was set on the ground, and Cloud stepped back to allow Squall his turn at opening it. As he reached for the lid-

_**THWACK!**_

Both boys cried out and tumbled back, the blond quicker to recover as the brunet shot a hand to his face.

"Squall, are you okay?!"

"…yeah…" Squall grunted, still nursing the bridge of his nose as his face scrunched up in pain. "…that _hurt_."

"I'd _think_ so! Whatever that was, it just got you right between the eyes!"

"Well, it serves you right!"

At the interruption from a third, high-pitched voice, the boys blinked in shared puzzlement before collectively looking up. There before them was a blonde girl that barely reached their spans, hovering in the air with the tail ends of her red-yellow scarf acting much like wings. Said girl was the look of indignation at their unguarded gawking as she continued: "_We_ called the treasure _first_!"

"Face it, you were too slow." And two more girls showed up, both of equally small stature, but of stark difference in outward personality as much as color scheme. The darker one with actual wings kept talking. "I told you: do the victory dance _after_ we open it."

The first girl huffed indignantly in response. "I didn't see _you_ keeping a lookout! Besides, what are you kids doing down here? This isn't a place for you to be playing around!"

"We-_ Hey!_" Any thought of explaining was lost at once to a protest of the brunette easily lifting the chest off the ground. "That's _ours_!"

"It's for your own good," the first retorted firmly. "It might be something _dangerous_! _We_'d better take care of it!"

"We've already seen what's inside; there's nothing dangerous in there!" Cloud protested. "Besides, we can handle _anything_!"

"Yeah!" Squall echoed. "Now give it back! _We_ found it first!"

"Don't worry," the third girl replied merrily. "We'll just save you the trouble-"

That was when Squall decided he had about enough of this – and was still sore from being "thwacked" earlier – and he effectively flicked the small brunette smack in her midsection. With a startled squawk, she dropped the chest into his waiting hand below; he wasted no time in setting it firmly back down on the ground again.

"That was _uncalled for!_" the first girl protested shrilly. "_Meanie!_"

And Squall raised a hand to keep the tiny flying girl at bay and away from the chest he had only just retrieved. He had barely "convinced" her out of the way when the darkest of the three was right in his face, sending him a reproachful glare of the likes he had not seen before. "… What's _with_ you?"

"Apologize."

"Yeah, no need to do _that_! We were just being _helpful_!"

"What if it _was_ dangerous? It might have been a _disa-a-a-a-a-a-aster_!"

"We _can_ handle ourselves," Squall insisted. "We're learning to use weapons already!"

"Ienzo, I thought I heard something down there…!" It was a rather familiar voice from a distance above, up in the cliffs where the boys had been just moments ago; at the sound of it, both of them jumped to their feet at once, the chest tucked firmly under Squall's arm.

"Quick, hide!"

The boys wasted no time in picking out a safe-looking rock to scoot behind. Yet, they quickly found they were _still_ not left alone.

"…who are we hiding from?"

Cloud frowned at the small pixie that had perched on his head, and he promptly batted her away. "That's Angeal out there."

"And if Angeal's out there," Squall continued with a painful cringe, "that means his _dog_ is out there."

"His _dog?_" and the chest-lifting girl appeared from where she had sought cover in Squall's own hair. "It's not vicious, is it?"

Before another word could be said, a large, silvery lupine head appeared inches from Squall's nose, bearing its gaze into his eyes with full force. It sniffed at him loudly – sending the girl burrowing back down once more with a muffled squeak – and grunted…before proceeding to lick him with the full, slippery length of its tongue.

"…nope," Squall answered at last, glaring as the dog took his word as a cue to repeat action over. "Just very, _very_ friendly… Penance, _get off_!"

The huge wolf-like animal did not comply, all but hugging the boy it licked with wet, noisy fervor as a pair of irregularly sized white wings beat with the same excited rhythm as its tail. Watching in utter confusion, the girl hiding in Cloud's ponytail tugged at it in silent request.

"…dogs like him," the blond explained. "A lot."

"I can see that," the winged girl quipped; she was the only one not hiding in hair as she eyed the affectionate beast with a measure of distaste. As Squall finally wrestled the dog out of range from his thoroughly licked face, she added further, "you realize, though, if the dog knows where we are, its master is only a few minutes away."

Squall and Cloud exchanged a solemn glance – they knew she was right; Angeal was _that_ good…

"He's not going to let us keep this," Squall pointed out the chest he still kept close.

"Probably throw it away, or give it to Ansem's apprentices…they won't let you have it back, will they?" – When the brunet shook his head in answer, Cloud sighed. – "And we went through all that trouble to _get_ it…!"

There was a long, somber pause, and then Squall plucked the girl out of his hair and held the chest up. "Take it."

"_What?_" the three girls and Cloud exclaimed.

"If _Xehanort_ gets his hands on the things inside this chest, he'll destroy them; I know he'll do it, and I _can't_ let that happen." Explanation stated, Squall turned back to the tiny brunette before him. "You'll take _really_ good care of these?"

"Of course we will!"

"Then they're yours. Better you than him." There was still a pause, and the chest popped open, allowing Squall's hand to dive into its depths. "But we're still taking something."

"Aw…"

"It's _insurance_," the young brunet insisted, tugging free the first two items that caught his eye. "This way, the next time you see us, you'll know you owe us one. You owe us _each_ one."

"That's not fair!" the blonde protested.

"That's how it is. Take it or leave it."

"We take it," Following the solemn answer, the level-headed member of the trio clapped the chest shut once more. "We're the Gullwings, by the way."

"Cloud Strife and Squall Leonhart."

"We'll remember you boys. Be careful."

In a puff of smoke, the girls and the chest were gone, leaving the two youngsters and the winged dog in their wake. It was then that Squall turned back to Cloud, his expression apologetic.

"…you did the right thing," Cloud admitted grudgingly. "I don't know him as well as you do, but Xehanort _would_ try something like that… What did you grab?"

Squall opened his hand, and the two looked down at a pair of accessories that gleamed mystically back at them. A pendant and a badge, both crafted from silver. Squall then extended his hand – and the items – toward his friend.

"… You get first pick."

After a moment's hesitation, Cloud reached over and took the heavy badge that was shaped in a wolf's head. Left behind was the pendant, its emblem a lion head topping a partial Celtic cross. Each boy examined his piece carefully, and Cloud was the first to speak after a long while.

"As weird as it must sound, this thing feels…_familiar_, somehow…"

"…yeah…"

"A_hem_." Their heads turned sharply to find the imposing figure of Angeal Hewley towering over them; the visiting officer's arms crossed over his chest as he gave them a blatantly unimpressed look. "Do you two have an explanation for being down here, especially when you _know_ you shouldn't be?"

"…no, sir," they confessed quietly.

Angeal studied the pair for a long while, eyes meeting with theirs as he sized them up. At last, he relented with a deep sigh. "I won't turn you in…_yet_. You'll have the rest of the evening to convince me, so I suggest you two exhibit perfect behaviors at Ansem's banquet. That means no running around, no roughhousing, no causing any trouble whatsoever, and when you are talked to, you answer with manners befitting gentlemen. _Perfect_ behavior."

"_But_-!"

"Do I have your word of honor?"

Knowing they had lost this fight well before it began, the boys surrendered, saluting the man as they had been taught. "Word of honor."

"Good." And Angeal turned to head back, pausing only to add, "And put those away properly; it's a long climb up, and Penance can only watch one of you at any amount of time."

At his prompt, they remembered the accessories they still held, and each pocketed their piece carefully before scrambling to keep up with the man. As Squall protested the dog's bumping him in the shoulder, none seemed to notice the eyes that watched them go.

The small brunette stared down at the chest she still held, her expression hesitant. "…is it really okay for us to keep these?"

"Yuna, the little guy _said_ they're ours!" the blonde answered insistently. "Besides, they got some of it, too…! We'll just have to owe them one favor each, that's all; no biggie."

"We should get going before someone _else_ comes along."

"Right! And no more talk about what we keep or not! This is _ours_! So _there_!"

And in another puff of smoke, the ones called the Gullwings were gone again.

* * *

"… I don't know about you, but I feel overdressed."

"Don't worry; the feeling's shared."

"Now, now, you boys look magnificent in those! Like brave young knights!"

Each wearing a set of "kid armor" – their designs throwbacks to the warriors from medieval eras – Cloud and Squall looked ready to rectify that point; it was a glance from Angeal that made them hold their peace…until the adults left them to lick at their wounded pride.

With an utterly debased expression, Cloud started to pick at one of his many buckles. "Can't knights come in something less…clunky?"

"…well, I guess this beats the tuxedos," Squall admitted. "And trust me, you don't want to wear one of those."

"Better a tux than a dress," the blond quipped, earning a smirk from the other.

"Speaking of dresses, I think I hear the girls outside." Sure enough, there were the muffled voices that were distinctly recognizable as Tifa's and Aerith's. As they opened the door to step back out, the words became clearer…

"Yuffie, _NO_!"

As the pair watched Aerith run frantically after the hyperactive toddler – all three dressed like little princesses for the occasion – Cloud crossed his arms over his armor-clad chest and turned to his friend. "Maybe you should help her."

"Why me?"

"Cos' you're the only one Yuffie listens to, and everyone knows it."

"Squall, you get down here _NOW_! She's gonna ruin the _dress_!"

With a tired groan, Squall answered Tifa's summons and descended the front steps. It was only a matter of time before the crossed the distance between him and the girls, and he reached for the toddler. "Alright, Yuffie, had enough?"

In answer, the small girl giggled and gleefully latched onto the older boy, chubby fingers quick to find and tug on his forelocks all over again. His expression morose, he resigned himself to carrying her for the rest of the trek to the castle, the other children falling into stride on either side of him. Waiting at the door, Merlin chortled as he granted them passage.

"And here are our young lords and ladies! Right this way, your honors!"

"Why does _he_ get to dress in the same thing that he always wears?" Cloud muttered, thankfully out of earshot from the older man who was, indeed, still in a plain blue robe.

"Ever seen Merlin in pants?"

"Point made."

As the children finally reached the castle ballroom, they found the adults quick to gush over them and their apparently "adorable" appearances. Squall was glad to relinquish Yuffie to someone more fitted to the role, but not as glad when he and the others were rushed for photograph sessions by many an excited person.

It was still good to see Zack join them later – he had been spared the awkwardness with armor by the recruit uniform he now wore with pride, and he had managed to secure a chance to pose with his four favorite people from camp…and Cloud, of course; they only had room for six, and Squall was more than happy to be left outside the shot.

Watching Cloud stand smartly with Zack, Aeleus, Angeal, Genesis and Sephiroth – who, by some coincidence, was of a matching color scheme with the comparatively small blond – Squall backed up further and further in an attempt to evade anymore photographs…until he bumped right into someone else. With a startled sound of apology, he turned…

…and found himself looking at the man who took place as Ansem's head apprentice.

"… Xehanort," Squall greeted carefully, knowing that Angeal was not far off.

"Ah, Squall," Xehanort returned the greeting, brass eyes taking in the child's appearance. And then those eyes seemed to glow a bit brighter as they homed in on his upper torso. "… I don't think I've seen that before."

The young brunet remembered his accessory with a measure of alarm, and it took much willpower to stop himself from instinctively covering the lion head pendant that hung from around his neck. When Shera had discovered it in his pocket, she had insisted he wear it – to complement the armor, or something. And just his luck, he was caught already.

"If I might ask… Where did you get that?"

Squall narrowed his eyes, not about to answer that question; not even his word of honor would make him answer it.

"Squall, there you are! Come along!"

Saved by the call. Not hiding his relief, Squall turned and hurried to where Ansem was beckoning him over, the tall ruler dressed in an elaborate set of robes specially tailored for the occasion. At directions from the photographer, he posed himself smartly before his mentor, looking the part of a determined knight to his king.

Still, he could feel those yellow eyes burning into his back, and it took him all his resolve to stay his place, to not betray any more of the uneasiness that he felt.

There was a bright flash, and the photographer declared the shot taken. When Squall turned back, Xehanort was gone.

* * *

"He's watching us…" Cloud hissed urgently, his glance directed at where the apprentice had shown himself once more, now apparently chatting with some of the guests.

"He knows," Squall answered quietly, his hand wrapped protectively over his emblem. "He saw me with this, and it's only a matter of time before he spots your badge."

At once, Cloud's hand came up and clapped over the shoulder guard where the wolf's head had been expertly attached. "He can't be thinking that these are…well…you know…!"

"Like King Mickey. Yes, I _know_."

"But they're just…_things_!" Cloud protested, even as he kept up his cover over the badge. "And who knows how long they've been _here_ – in _this_ world. Not some place we never knew existed."

"…we don't know that." And Squall lifted the emblem slightly, meeting Cloud's eyes solemnly. "You said it yourself, they feel familiar. What if they are…?"

A pause, and the hand slowly left the wolf's head. "…you think?"

"What's his name?" At Cloud's confused expression, Squall explained, "the wolf – what's his name?"

"…you tell me that guy's name-" a finger jabbed at the lion head emblem, "-and I'll tell you his."

Squall paused, staring back down at the lion that dangled from his neck…as comfortably as though it had always belonged there. When he looked back up, his answer was without any uncertainty…

"… Griever."

A nod, and then… "… Fenrir."

"So we _do_ know them…" And Squall's hand once more wrapped around the emblem with conviction. "I'm not letting him take this away from me."

"He's not taking my badge either," Cloud affirmed, his resolve in place. "Not if I have anything to say about it."

"We stay close to the others," Squall suggested. "And as far away from him as possible."

"Stuff our words of honor, if we have to."

"Well said, Captain. As you were." Earning a grin from the blond, Squall paused in following after him as he once more allowed the emblem to dangle freely.

_I know your name…but just what _are_ you?_

On the end of the chain, Griever merely twinkled in the ballroom lighting, leaving not a question answered…

_

* * *

I've had my eye on this for a while, but never did quite get around to writing it for one reason or another. After _Crisis Core_ introduced me to Angeal, Genesis and their copies, I thought it gave me more ideas to work with_ _(if it wasn't caught already, Angeal's dog Penance is based on the wolf-like Angeal copy that appeared in the latter part of the game). __Since I'm still awfully low in motivation, I thought I'd get this out, to knock me back into proper working condition._

_Either way, I hope I at least wrote something that was enjoyed. Thanks for stopping by._


End file.
